Facit 8111-2 Typewriter

HaaTa · 20 Dec 2015, 08:42

I'm always sorta afraid to do tear-downs of typewriters...mostly because it takes *forever*. This one didn't help, because I have a demo video of the portions that are still working (including the VFD!).
But those keycaps, they beckoned

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I believe this uses Alps Vertical Plate Spring Switches, but instead of just cruciform keycap mounts, they use mostly bar mounts (which I had not seen before). Mind, looking at the slider, it totally makes sense for bar mounts.
Do, double actuation/click switches in this keyboard unfortunately (enough software built-in to handle repeat rate).

Amusingly they re-purposed the Tab key switch from a LED one...

I tried to get the typewriter to print, but there seemed to be something wrong with the type head. Other than that, it seemed functional (besides being dropped at one point, it's *really* heavy).

(youtube says video the is gonna take another 40 minutes to process...)

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Flickr Album

Chyros · 20 Dec 2015, 13:38

Haha, wonderfully documented, thanks! I'd go nuts working with it, with that car alarm going off every other minute xD . Definitely a nice find!

Engicoder · 20 Dec 2015, 14:27

I love glass VFD displays like that. They have such a unique look.
Very interesting keycap shape. Kind of looks like a horseshoe.

terrycherry · 21 Dec 2015, 03:29

Excellent found! Love this beauty keyboard indeed. And good to see the never seen Alps switch.
I'm searching when did it make.

HaaTa · 21 Dec 2015, 03:31

I'd say sometime around 1983.

Facitman · 23 Dec 2017, 05:32

Hello,
This post is 2 years old but I discovered the site a month ago and I can add some information.

First, this high quality keyswitch that nobody seems to know. I really don't know what model it is, if somebody wants to use de pictures as documentation for the wiki, feel free to do it.

HaaTa think it's dating from around 1983, this is the build date of the TyPeWriter (week 42), but the same key was also used on the preceding model 8000 series in 1980, perhaps even before on the series 1880/1885/6452 but Im not sure.

More keys & TPWR pics here photos-f62/typewriter-facit-8121-t17982.html?hilit=8121

Chyros · 23 Dec 2017, 09:58

It's Alps SKFF, I did a Teardown on it a while ago:

Facitman · 23 Dec 2017, 11:41

Thanks, I read it in purdobol's post photos-f62/facit-6480-typewriter-calculator-t17719.html but couldn't see any picture in de wiki, just a short description.